I looked up ‘anti-heroes’ and feel that this young man would not mind being grouped together with movie characters like Jason Bourne, Michael Corleone, Gordon Gekko & Deadpool…. as such portrait 14 is a pretty spot-on snapshot of my oldest offspring. Even as a youngster watching Disney movies Josh related more with the shadier characters like Captain Hook and Scar, and once old enough to articulate it relegated the good guys (Peter Pan, the good-hearted Simba) as `pussies`. Hey, he just came out that way. Despite this, he`s still a good human being, an incessant entrepreneur, (if you`re looking for some online nutrition & physique training hit him up,) and a bit of a world traveller to boot. Like any good villain he likes to stay on the move… Stay safe my son!

Portrait 13: The Lisch Family Marching Band (& Woody)
This is a family that does together. Even joining a bagpipe marching band. When they pulled the two wooden boxes from the back of the truck my curiosity was piqued, and to my delight I was treated to some other-worldy squeaks and honks during their portrait time as a spontaneous practice session ensued. Thank you Lisch family for enriching my studio space with your artful noise!!

Back at it! Portrait number 12, Quinn and Rosie. This young man, besides being a big ‘ol sloppy-hearted dog lover and an excellent chef, is also a great entrepreneur; not only is he part of the family business Blue Moon Winery, (which many of you may recognize as the home of the fabulous Raven’s Moon Ciders), he also operates his own very successful mobile apple press and is always planning (and doing) what he needs to do to take that next step. Oh and even though is face is buried in Rosie’s shiny fur coat, he’s also quite handsome.

Wayne approached me the week before his turn in the studio came up and said, “I have an idea for my portrait. I have a thing for shoes, you see…” So of course I was delighted when he showed up with a giant suitcase full of his John Fluevog shoes in tow.

Wayne, you’re one of a kind. Thanks for being such a cool subject!!

Feel free to leave a comment or subscribe to follow my progress through this project.

Portrait number 8. This is an ‘accidental’ image of my daughter and her cat, taken as the ever-curious Dempsey, (refusing to pose peacefully,) scrambled up and around Mika’s shoulders to the floor to continue exploring the alien environment of my studio setup. I took several in-focus, neat photos in this session but the artist in me really went for the spontaneity, movement and expression in this frame. I like it, I hope you do too 🙂

I know this guy very well; not just because we work together but he’s also my son. He’s a got a huge heart and a tender soul. There are so many ‘classic Nathan’ expressions and faces that I just had to choose this genuine, looking-straight-into-the-camera-laughing image of him. Love you bud.

This is a group of people who are dear to my heart, as well as camera shy. I suggested they have their portraits done together, as they’re pretty much one big family anyways. Lots of barefoot love here 🙂

The second of 100 black and white film sessions, this candid photo stood out to me as an endearing moment in every parent’s life; the busyness, the entertaining, the adoration, the absolute trust, treats and every child’s best effort to live a life lived at full strength in the light of their parents’ love. I loved the brief time I had photographing this family.

Technically, I also like the artifacts present in this photo: the emulsion rubs, the squeegee mark all the way across the frame, the blown-out highlight on Anwyn`s cheek, the water stain in the top right corner. To me these just make it more ‘filmy’ but also tell me I`ve got a few bugs to work out of my process…

In the end, I`m going for feel and personality more than technical perfection. For me, this pic delivers just that.

As a follow-up to a project I did in 2011 called ‘100 portraits in 20 weeks‘, in which I painted or drew 100 small portraits from profile pictures of fellow bloggers who commented on my blog, (I was successful in meeting my goal and connected with many amazing people), I am commencing a second project in kind. This time I’m following my love of photography and making 100 portraits using my old Nikon FA and good old black and white film. No filters, no touch-ups, no jazzing up. I wish I could go analog all the way but I’m scanning the film to share with the world digitally. My goal is again to finish in 20 weeks, as 5 photoshoots and scanning sessions a week is enough for me. Follow along and feel free to give me some feedback!!

Portrait #1. This is my girl. Of all the photos I took of her I chose this one because she has always been my laughing girl and I feel that this shot embodies her joy of life perfectly. Keep laughing Lyds! Love you